Infinite
by Team Space Heater
Summary: Quil and Claire are madly in love. Life couldn't be better, right? But something has to go wrong eventually because, well...it always does.
1. Fifteen

_Author's Note: I don't care if you love this or hate it, just PLEASE review!! And while you're at it, check out Team Freezer's story Found. Thanks bunches to her for helping me with this. _

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"Happy Birthday Claire!"

Nine giants and three girls were crowded into my tiny bedroom. I screamed and tried to throw the sheets over my head, only to be rudely interrupted by Quil.

"Morning sunshine!" He chirped. He just laughed as I attempted to glower at him and pushed my way through the crowd.

"Thanks…you guys…" I grumbled.

My second-best friend Katy followed me to the bathroom.

"Oh, Claire, stop being so moody. They're just trying to be nice."

"Then they shouldn't wake me up before nine during the summer."

I closed the bathroom door and looked at the girl in the mirror. Fifteen. I'd been on this earth for fifteen years without a boyfriend. That bothered me greatly. I knew it was mostly because of my uncle and overprotective friends. None of them thought I was ready to deal with boys yet. It just wasn't fair! Katy was just two months older than me when she started going out with Seth!

"That was three years ago, Claire," Uncle Sam said when I brought that fact up a few weeks ago. "Things have changed."

"They have not."

"Claire, you're just—"

"Too young. Don't even say it."

"Yes, you are. You're just too young to understand."

I huffed away and complained to Quil. He, on the other hand, couldn't wait for me to grow up.

"I'll talk to him. No guarantees about that boyfriend stuff, though. Maybe you should wait until your birthday…"

Birthday. That brought me to today. Quil had said he would tell me today. Tell me what, I wasn't quite sure. I had spent weeks contemplating what secret he could possibly tell me. I wanted it to be somewhere along the lines of 'Claire, ever since I first set eyes on you, I've been madly in love with you. Will you marry me?' It was pathetic, the fact that I was in love with my best friend. Like he would even give me a second glance.

Whatever it was, I had a feeling it was going to be big. Ever since I moved in with Aunt Emily and Uncle Sam, I felt like I was missing an inside joke or something. Maybe it had to do with why the Quileute guys were so…them. For instance, why were those men so huge? Why, whenever they were near, could a room heat up in the dead of winter? And did there always have to be so many of them? The girls at my school always joke about how guys travel in packs, but Quil and his friends really did seem like a bunch of dogs. I laughed as I thought about the group running through La Push with floppy ears and tails.

"What's so funny in there?" Katy knocked on the bathroom door. "Really, Claire, increase in irritability, mood swings…"

"Stop with the PMSing jokes, Katy," I barked as I swung open the door.

She laughed as I stuck my tongue out.

"Very mature."

She grabbed my hand and we skipped down the hall to get breakfast.

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_So. It's pretty short, but I promise the chapters will get somewhat longer. Suggestions, comments, constructive criticism? Just click the little button and type stuff. _


	2. Food

_Author's Note: Thank you for my amazing reviewers! All THREE of them. Seriously, people, I should have at least half as many reviewers as I do hits. It WILL get better! Oh yes, and when I write relatively long stories, I like to have fun with the characters. Therefore, Claire will have frequent mental freakouts. Sorry if it gets annoying._

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Having a somewhat organized breakfast was a feat in itself. Two picnic tables had been shoved together so all thirteen of us could fit. Absolutely all of our kitchen appliances were working full blast and I got dizzy just watching Aunt Emily and Leah flit back and forth between the tables and stove. There were at least seven platters piled high with pancakes, three pitchers of orange juice, two industrial-sized waffle makers, and countless plates of eggs. All were being emptied and refilled faster than I could imagine. Paul and Jared were fighting over the last plate of bacon. Jacob threw an apple to Embry, almost hitting Seth in the process. Collin yelled something to Uncle Sam before punching Brady in order to steal a few waffles and the syrup.

"Muffin?" Quil politely offered me a huge chocolate chip covered lump before shoving the whole thing into his mouth.

"Uh... Quil?" I asked. His tongue started swelling and his lips looked like they had gotten injected with Botox. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Oh man…..I forgot. Chocolate…" Quil turned sort of green and he dashed off to the bathroom.

I went over to help my aunt, but Leah shoved me into an empty space at the table.

"Oh no you don't. It's your birthday, Claire. We'll manage." I helped myself to a few steaming pancakes and tried not to spill my orange juice, which was hard considering all the pushing and shoving going on around me. A very warm, now natural-colored Quil slid next to me.

"Feeling better?" He shot a scowl over my head to Jacob, who was cracking up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just remind me not to eat a gigantic chocolate muffin again."

"Where's everyone else?" I asked him. Normally when one of Quil's friends was here, their whole family came with them. It was a bizarre sight not to have little kids running around screaming.

"They had a sleepover at Kim and Jared's house. We figured that if everybody was here, the house would probably explode." He was right. It was chaotic enough without twenty extra bodies here. I dodged a flying piece of fruit and followed Quil outside.

"Air!" He gasped dramatically.

"Oh, come on. It wasn't _that_ bad in there," But I had to agree, it was much cooler than in the house. "So do I get my birthday present yet?"

Quil smiled to himself.

"Nope, you have to wait until the bonfire."

"Will you give me a hint?" He smirked and ruffled my hair.

"Somebody's impatient."

"I have a right to be impatient. I'm a teenager."

"Should I be aware of sudden mood swings and constant whining?"

"Oh, shut it."

I tried to punch him, but ended up hurting myself instead. He just laughed, again, and gave me a hug. I tried not to freak out about it. It was simply a hug a brother would give his little sister. A hug I would give one of the kids. It was definitely not a hug Seth would give Katy. As I tried to convince myself to ignore the sparks running through my body and my irregular heartbeat, he broke away.

"We should probably go inside now; it looks like it's going to rain."

Personally, I would brave much more than just a few drops of water if that meant Quil could be with me, but I didn't say anything.

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Everyone eventually cleared out to get ready for the bonfire tonight. I insisted on helping with the dishes, which, even with me, Katy, and Uncle Sam helping my aunt, took the easily two hours. We were in dire need of a functioning dishwasher, but Aunt Emily didn't mind the work, for whatever strange reason of hers. A few minutes before we left for the beach, Aunt Emily called me into her room.

"I have something for you, Claire."

"Aw, Aunt Emily, you really didn't have to."

In all honesty, the only gift I was expecting was from Quil, and that present wasn't going to be material. My aunt opened her closet and attempted to reach for something on the top shelf, but her huge belly restrained her.

"Let me get it."

I pulled down a small purple box and she nodded. Inside was a small star-shaped pendant covered in diamonds.

"It's so pretty! Thanks Aunt Em!"

She turned me around and fastened the clasp around my neck. I admired the sparkles in the mirror and turned around to hug my aunt.

"I'm glad you like it Claire," She whispered in my hair. "It was your mother's."

Tears welled up in my eyes and threatened to spill over. Mom. I missed her so much.

Four years ago, my mom, dad, sister, and I were driving home from a Christmas party. Some guy was drunk driving and hit us from the right side, instantly killing Dad and Kristie. The car skidded on black ice before rolling headfirst into a tree. Mom was in the front of the car and hit it the hardest. She held on for as long as she could, but she died in the hospital on New Year's Eve. Aunt Emily was the only relative that lived close to us, so she came and sorted out the financial stuff. When Mom died, my godmother became my legal guardian and I've lived in La Push ever since.

"Thank you Aunt Emily. A lot."

"She wanted you to have it."

I smiled and tried to think of happier times with my family. My aunt patted my shoulder.

"Try to have fun tonight. Quil will be there."

I lightly pushed her as I felt my cheeks redden. Only Aunt Emily and Katy knew that I liked Quil as more than a friend. But he was just so nice! Besides, I'd known him just about my whole life. I can't remember a visit to La Push that hadn't included Quil babysitting me or, when I got older, sitting at the kids table just so I wouldn't have to suffer the screaming children all by myself. I sighed and followed my aunt out the door.

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As soon as the food was loaded into the truck and Uncle Sam was found, the three of us headed down to First Beach for my birthday bonfire. I don't think I ever saw as many people eating at once as I did at that party. Aunt Em had reclaimed the kids from Kim and my uncle rounded up the guys to help unload the truck. Cooler after cooler began to pile up around us, and we almost lost one of the little kids in maze of food. I don't know where these people got the money to buy out half the grocery store daily.

When it came time to bring out the food, faces literally popped up out of nowhere. Every person that had eaten breakfast at our house left to go find their significant other. Katy skipped over to me to wish me a happy birthday again and was followed by various husbands, wives, and girlfriends. After they made their rounds, I was attacked by eight screaming children.

"Happy Birfday Claiw!"

"Does this mean you and Quil won't sit at the kids' table anymore?"

"Are you still going to babysit us?"

"You have to babysit us! You're our favorite babysitter!"

I took a cooing baby from Melanie, who was ten and the oldest of the kids. I couldn't help but laugh when she said this because all she did when I came over was complain about how she was too old to have a babysitter.

"Chill, you guys. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

They were herded back to their parents while the last of the group caught up. Embry was the last person to join us. Poor guy. He tried so hard not to show how left out he felt; he was the only one there besides Quil that didn't have a girlfriend. I knew exactly how he felt. Maybe I could get him to talk to my uncle...

Quil snuck up behind me and poked me in the back. I screamed and almost fell into him.

"Woah there. Didn't think I'd scare you that bad."

Was it my imagination, or did he hold onto me for just a bit longer then necessary? Did his arms really need to be that tight against me? Not that I minded, of course. It was just cruel to play games like that with me. He had to be at least twenty five. And he knew how desperate I was to have a boyfriend. For an instant, a picture of us flashed through my mind. We looked so...happy together. Like Emily and Sam; an effortless love. I twisted in his arms and tried to look expectant.

"Can I have my birthday present now?"

He laughed nervously and his eyes shifted. I was pretty sure I heard his heart stop and then sputter erratically; as mine often did on the roller coasters I was scared to death of. Quil, scared? I didn't think that was possible. He locked eyes with someone behind me and nodded once.

"Later, when the bonfire's over," Quil unwrapped his arms and pushed me towards my family. "Claire," He warned. "I don't know what you think I'm going to tell you, but I doubt it's going to be what you expect." My face must have dropped visibly, because he immediately came back to me and hugged me somewhat awkwardly. "No, Claire... I..."

I didn't get it. Things between us had never been so awkward. Quil and I had always been so close; more like siblings than best friends. I just didn't understand how things had suddenly shifted.

To my dismay, tears started to well up behind my eyelids. He had just said that what he would tell me later wouldn't be what I thought it was. That meant...that he really didn't...like me...

My emotions ran totally out of whack. So what, maybe I was PMSing a _little_ bit. I couldn't stand the thought that Quil didn't like me. Something in my head clicked. This was why he'd been so strange these last few weeks. Why he gave me a funny look whenever I saw him. Why he refused to drive me to Port Angeles so he could help me pick out a new swimsuit. He didn't like me. He thought I was getting the wrong idea, which I most definitely was, so he was going to set me straight. I couldn't bear it. Would we still be friends? Quil noticed my mental freak out and tried to comfort me.

"Come on, Claire," he whispered and pulled me even closer than before. "Claire, don't be like that. Please? Tell me what's wrong. Was it something I said? I'm so sorry Claire I didn't mean it. What did I say?"

I looked at him through the tears that were threatening to burst out of my eye sockets. "You...d-don't...like me." I sniffed.

He spent almost a full minute thinking about that, and then bust out laughing, which made me start crying. He thought I was funny. He thought I was just a dumb kid; an overly-dramatic, hormonally-driven teenage girl. He was too good, too mature for me.

"Aw, please don't cry! You'll get it later. I'm sorry Claire, I didn't know you thought that I... I didn't mean it... I mean, I do... But... I'm not supposed to... Um... I..."

He looked around desperately for help, rambling on about how he didn't mean it that way. I was confused out of my mind. He _did_ like me? I think he did, but he said he didn't mean it. No, he said he meant it but he wasn't supposed to. I was still trying to straighten out this mess when Katy came up behind me.

"Quil, maybe I should—"

"No! I'll do it. Just... Later. After. Claire, come on. They're lighting the fire now, we have to go."

He wiped a leftover tear off my face and gave me that funny look again. My mind was seriously so muddled, I couldn't even move. He took my hand and literally dragged me to where my thirty closest friends and family members were waiting to bombard me with birthday songs and food.

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_Comment. Review. Suggestions. Please??_


	3. Encounter

_Author's Note: Thank you to my reviewers!! I love you guys. But, I have to love my beta even more, because she made some changes that make much more sense than the original chapter I had posted. You can thank her for the Quil/sweater simile. Well, on with the chapter, I guess._

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The bonfire itself was entertaining. Someone had brought music and the little kids had all tried to jump in time to the beat, 'tried' being the key word. After roasting three whole bags of marshmallows, though, they went to bed. Everyone else was still dancing and singing along with the music. Even Katy grabbed me, and we spun around until I hit an extremely warm wall of something.

"Are you just seeing how dizzy you can get?" Quil asked. "Or do you actually want to dance, because Seth's getting pretty lonely over there, Katy." He winked at us and my friend traipsed away.

I was dazed. Quil just asked me to dance. I tried not to get my hopes up. The last time a guy had asked me to dance was Ryan at homecoming. He felt sorry for me. See? Quil just felt sorry for me. No biggie. I tried to tell that to my pounding heart.

"So." Quil started.

"So..."

We were both just standing there sort of swaying to the music, not even touching.

"Oh, come on you guy." Katy shoved me against Quil. "Move. To the beat," She took my shoulders and rocked me back and forth. "Now move your hips...there ya go! I'm going to leave now. Try not to have too much fun you two." She winked and sauntered back to an awaiting Seth.

Quil's hands clasped around my waist. Ignoring my fluttering heart, I turned around. We were actually dancing, and the fact that we were together felt...right. It felt as right as seeing Quil wearing a sweater felt wrong. Whatever awkwardness had been between us these last few days was totally gone, and we probably looked a lot like Katy and Seth, who were swaying to their own beat. A few songs later, people started to drift off in small groups, leaving Embry to watch the kids.

"I'm surprised! You've gone over half an hour without demanding your present.," Quil smiled. "I almost forgot to ask you if you still want it."

"Of course I still want it," I whispered, not knowing what to expect. I was suddenly extremely nervous.

We started walking towards the forest, and ended up going in fairly deep. The sounds of the bonfire faded behind us, and all that was left was me, Quil, and the moonlight reflecting off of his perfect face.

"What are you planning to do, rape me or something?" _Please please please please!_ I screamed in my head.

He chuckled and muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'not unless you want me to', but I wasn't sure.

"Excuse me?"

"N-nothing. Never mind." The skin on his gorgeous face turned a shade darker than it should have been.

"So. Present time!" I smiled expectantly.

"You might want to sit down or something..."

"Nope. I'm a big girl now. I can take it."

"Okay. Um... This is going to sound really...strange... Remember the stories Sam tells at bonfires?"

I thought for a minute. Like a lot of the little kids, I had been to bonfires before. Several times I had listened in on the legends when I should have been sleeping. Quil always caught me, but said that he wouldn't tell anyone. None of the kids were supposed to hear the stories, but Quil promised to keep the secret. "You mean the ones about the spirit warriors and the cold ones and stuff like that?"

He nodded. "Yeah, those ones. Well... What if I told you that they were real? Would you believe me?"

I went blank for a minute. What? This was so stupid. I'd cried over _this_? That some old tribal legends were supposedly true? "Of course I'd believe you."

He seemed relieved.

"Would you believe me if I told you that my dog was a unicorn?" I laughed.

Now he looked hurt. "Claire, really. The...spirit warriors? They're REAL."

I shook my head. "Quil, you obviously have some mental problems. I'm going back to the beach. Come talk to me when you're sane again."

Quil had disappointing taste in birthday presents. Guys who told their best friends secrets were supposed to have something really good in store. I thought back to my previous theories about Quil liking me. This secret didn't have anything to do with liking me. It was a crazy myth. For a moment, I hoped that the whole thing was a joke; that Quil would just bounce back to being his usual funny self and be all, 'Just kidding. The real secret was that I love you and Sam doesn't want us to be together, so we'll just have to be like Romeo and Juliet, without the dying part, of course.' But seriously. If _this_ was my huge birthday surprise, I definitely had to question Quil's sanity.

I tried to find my way back to the bonfire, but I got somewhat lost. Okay, maybe I got a lot lost. It was a while before Quil found me again. He turned me in the right direction without saying a word and I stubbornly marched ahead. "Story time!" I heard Katy calling from a distance, so we quickened our pace. Everybody had already gathered in a circle by the time we arrived.

"Just listen to him. Please?" Quill begged quietly, as Uncle Sam started to tell the familiar legends.

"The Quileutes have been a small people from the beginning," He started. "And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting—that came later. First we were spirit warriors."

He continued speaking, but I went numb. I heard the words and names without processing them. "Spirit warriors…Taha Aki…wolves…cold ones…"

None of it should have made sense. Yet it did. Every bit of it. Quil's eyes never left me. When my uncle was finished, everyone suddenly stood up and disappeared. It was just Quil and I again. "Do you believe me now?"

I don't know what came over me. I just got up and ran away. I ran faster than I thought I could. The only time I looked back, nine men were holding down a quivering, sad-looking Quil.

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I must have been running for at least half an hour before I started getting tired. After that, I walked for who knows how long. I was surprised that nobody had found me yet, or maybe they hadn't even bothered looking, if the expression on Quil's face was any indicator. Normally they were so overprotective. The moon made the trees look like the ones that tried to kill Snow White. I was half expecting one of them to eat me or something. As feelings of rage, acceptance, and hopelessness overcame me, I curled up into a ball and cried. It was immature, I know, but nobody was there to see me, so I didn't care.

It was too quiet. Not even the wind was blowing. I was thinking about getting up when I heard it. It was a deep rustling sound, and then a growl. _Stupid Claire,_ I thought. _You honestly __didn't expect there to be any wild animals out here? __It's the woods!_

I foolishly decided to wait and see what it was. The forest got quiet again. Then, something started running. Something…big. An ominous black shape raced in front of me, but it was obscured by the darkness. _Great. A bear. Just what I need._ Thankfully, it didn't seem to notice me hiding under the tree. It was focusing on something behind me. A loud battle cry sounded, and a large white blur flew past. It attacked the bear, but didn't seem to intend to kill it. The thing laughed. A _person_? Who in their right mind would willingly throw themselves at a bear? I looked closer. It seemed like they were…playing. Neither one of them was injuring the other. Gasping, I took in the scene in front of me.

Both creatures heard me and stopped at the same time. The bear let out what could only be described as a laugh and loped away. The man was frozen in place staring at me. He was silent for a few seconds, but then he came a little closer.

"Hello," His musical voice echoed through the trees. My eyes were wide with fear as he took another stop nearer. _Come on, Claire. Try to remember all those self-defense skills Quil and Embry taught you! Or at least scream if he tries anything. Even this far into the forest, someone is bound to hear you._

He couldn't have been older than thirty. Twenty-five was pushing it. His skin glowed white in the moonlight and I could see his extremely large muscles through his short sleeved shirt. Why was he wearing short sleeves? It was freezing. To top it off, the guy had just been wrestling a bear, and I knew he could easily kill me or worse if he felt like it.

I scooted back as far as I could against the tree. The man looked sort of scared, like he was approaching a rabid dog, yet he sat down in front of me. "So…what brings you here on this fine evening?"

"Uh…" I whispered. I was literally shaking from the cold and the fear.

"Sorry if I scared you. Yogi and I were just…having some fun."

He was so close that I could have touched him. I could see him more clearly now. He was pale, far to pale to be from La Push. He smiled, showing his dimples. "I really am sorry. Are you lost? I won't hurt you, I promise." As he smiled, the moon glinted off of his perfect white teeth. He looked menacing for a second. Then he brushed his curly brown hair away from his eyes. His eyes… Sure, the alabaster skin and basketball-sized muscles were sort of weird. But compared to his eyes, his other features seemed average. Maybe it was because I've never really looked at people before, or it could have been the fact that I lived out in the sticks, I don't know, but I never recalled seeing eyes of pure gold before.

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_Love it? Hate it? Suggestions? _


	4. Emmett

_Author's Note: THANK YOU to my reviewers!! Sorry for the relative shortness of this chapter. It has been decided that Claire becomes friends with Emmett, which makes this chapter from his point of view. Pretty much just a placeholder, but it does contain some important information. Enjoy!_

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Emmett's POV

It felt good to be back in Forks. The whole family moved to Denali when Bella was changed, and had stayed there for a few years. Eventually the couples drifted off to exotic vacation spots, but we rejoined about a month ago. Esme missed all of us, and she wanted to go back to the house in Forks. Alice was all too eager to give us little makeovers that were supposed to make us look somewhat older. The girls gained a whole new wardrobe from it, so they were happy.

Everybody was out shopping. Even with Rosalie, furniture shopping was boring enough to make me wish I could sleep. I decided to go hunting and try to find an old friend.

I ran until somewhere near the La Push border before I found my buddy. I crept up behind the giant creature and jumped on him.

"Yogi! I missed you, man! Thirteen years and still kickin, eh?"

The giant grizzly remembered me and gave me a...bear hug... Yogi and I, we went way back. Before we moved to Forks for the first time, Jasper and I were on a grizzly hunt. We'd killed off three big ones, and then found a little cub hiding in the bushes. He looked so helpless, I smuggled him into the Jeep and took him home.

Esme was a little freaked out to find a bear cub tearing apart the house, but she let me keep him. After coming to Forks, I let him loose in the forest and threatened to kill anyone who tried to touch him. It was fun watching little Yogi grow up, almost like having the child that Rose wanted so badly.

So there we were, wrestling in the forest. We played our own version of hide-and-seek. I guess we got carried away and we neared the border. Stupid, irritable grizzly. Why did he have to be such a good hider? I finally found Yogi and yelled before I tackled him. It was about a minute until we heard the gasp, and I froze as the overwhelming scent of dog that I hadn't noticed reached my nose.

The girl couldn't have been older than sixteen. Tears glistened on her tan face and her jet black heir was matted. She looked cold and scared, her brown eyes wide with shock.

It was silent enough to hear three of her heartbeats before I spoke. "Hello," I said. Some conversation starter I was. Poor kid sees a random guy wrestling a bear, and then he tries to talk to her.

I took an involuntary step in her direction, even though I knew I was pushing my limits by getting closer. I took another step towards the girl, trying to calm down both her and I. "So... what brings you here on this fine evening?" I convinced myself not to hurt her and sat down in front of her.

"Uh..." She was obviously scared out of her mind.

"Sorry if I scared you. Yogi and I were just...having some fun," I smiled, trying not to scare her any more.

She wouldn't relax, so I tried to pry information out of her. "I really am sorry. Are you lost? I won't hurt you, I promise." See? I promised her that I wouldn't hurt her. I would never ever break a promise. I ignored the slight burning in my throat from her scent and waited for her to respond.

"I...guess I'm...sort of lost..." The girl said.

I had to get her to talk to me so I could convince myself not to kill her right then and there. Even though I had just hunted, her blood smelled so sweet despite the slight dog stench. If I talked to her, I could see her as a real person instead of just some innocent victim.

I tried a different approach. "My name's Emmett. I just moved to Forks from Canada. What's your name?"

"Claire," She whispered. "I'm from La Push."

That explained the smell. She was probably one of the wolves' girls. I vaguely remembered Bella and Edward saying something about a little girl named Claire, but that was over ten years ago and small details didn't seem to stick in my mind.

"So, Claire. You're lost? How did that happen? Fight with your parents?"

Her face fell immediately. "I wish," She whispered. "They died four years ago. Now I live with my Aunt Emily."

Poor kid. I still have a hard time thinking about the day I went to my parents' funeral. Something else she said got me thinking. Emily. From La Push. Was she the one who Sam imprinted on? I was pretty sure it was the same girl.

My brain slowly fit more names to stories I had heard. Claire, I now remembered, was the little girl Quil had imprinted on. Quil was a werewolf, and friends with Jacob. Jacob... Bella would want to know how he was.

"Do you by any chance know a guy named Jacob?" I asked.

Her eyes her head snapped up slightly in recognition. "Jacob Black?"

"That's the one."

"You know him? How?"

"Oh I...worked with him a while back. One of my friends was friends with him. If you see him sometime soon, can you tell him that Bella misses him?"

Her eyes bulged. "You know Bella? Bella _Swan_?" _Cullen_ I mentally corrected, but nodded anyways.

"Do you mind telling me how Jacob's been? The last time Bella heard anything from him was about ten years ago, and she's been really worried that he's going to do something stupid and get himself hurt."

Claire was relaxed now and started rambling. "First of all, Jake wouldn't do anything stupid on purpose. I've heard some stories about him and Bella and how she ditched him. He was absolutely miserable until a few years ago because of what happened with her. It just about killed him to watch her walk off with that guy. Then he met Amber and stopped moping around. They got married a few months ago."

So Jacob had imprinted. Or at least found himself another girl. Bella will be happy to know that Jacob's happy. Claire continued to talk about the rest of the pack, all except Quil. I thought this was strange, seeing as how she was his imprint, and I decided to question her about it.

"I remember Bella saying something about someone named Quil. Do you know him too?"

She narrowed her eyes and seemed to be remembering something. "Yeah, I know Quil. That's why I'm here. He was being strange and I ran away from him. He's _supposed_ to be my best friend, but he's been acting weird lately."

"How so?"

She was probably thinking about how much of her story to tell a total stranger, because she took forever to answer me.

"Well, take tonight, for instance. He promised me a couple weeks ago that he would tell me some big secret tonight for my birthday present. So we have dinner and dance, and he takes me into the forest and tells me that the old campfire stories my uncle has been telling at all the bonfires are actually real. It's totally crazy stuff about 'spirit warriors' and 'cold ones' and stuff like that. He just expects me to believe him too. I think he hit his head the last time he went cliff diving."

"The old Quileute legends? I remember Bella saying something about those. You know, maybe you should give the guy a chance. Maybe the stories really are true." I was seriously hoping that she didn't believe the stories, because then she might be suspicious of me, and I didn't want that.

"Aw, come on man! Not you too! You're a total stranger and you believe all that stuff! Have they brainwashed you? Am I the only one who—"

"Okay, okay! Sorry, didn't mean to get you mad or anything. So new subject. The other guys? How have they been doing?" I was desperate for anything to get her mind off the legends.

"Well everybody's married or dating except for Quil and Embry. They live together in this filthy little house. I went over there once and it was a total mess. Magazines and food everywhere..."

She talked and I listened. It was actually pretty cool, hearing about how Bella's old friends were doing. We were still sitting there talking when the pack came.

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_So...do you like it? The next chapter is going to be in Quil's POV, and it is somewhat more interesting. _

_Review!! _


	5. Quil

_Author's Note: In honor of Breaking Dawn coming out in a little over a DAY (!!) I figured I should give you guys another chapter. It's a little repetitive, since it's from Quil's side, but I had fun writing it and I hope you enjoy it. The actual plot line will continue soon, I have to lock myself in my room for a few days screaming how amazing Breaking Dawn is to my friends after I finish reading it. Oh, and whatever the outcome of the newest book, I'm not planning on changing my plot line. So, here's another chapter._

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Quil's Point of View

Fifteen. My Claire was fifteen years old. I'd never felt so happy in my entire life. Not counting the first time I saw her, of course. Finally, I could tell her everything I wanted and anything she wanted to know. I could be more than just a friend.

The last twelve and a half years had been unbearably slow. The first few years were the worst because I rarely saw her. During the holidays that Claire and her family came down for, I happily volunteered to be the designated babysitter.

Then came that terrible Christmas. When Emily got the call that there had been an accident, I went crazy. All I could think about was Claire. What if something had happened to her? How could I live without my Claire? Without her knowing about me, about my friends, about us? Then I found out that she was all right, but I still needed to see her for myself. I fought with Sam to see her, and I eventually followed Emily to Portland. Claire was spending the night in the hospital next to her mother, and I was overjoyed to find barely a scratch on her.

In the months after the funeral, she had about as much emotion as a rock. She had been really close to her mom, and the fact that she was now basically an orphan hit her pretty hard. Emily, Sam, and I took turns sitting with her, rarely saying anything but being there when she needed someone. After five weeks of watching her go to school, come home, do her homework, and stare at a blank television until it was bedtime, I announced that I had had enough.

"Claire," I stated. "You are in dire need of something fun."

She gave me the blank stare that had been on her face for the last month. "Nothing's fun anymore. Mom can't do it with us." For the first time, I saw her start to cry. She looked so helpless, sitting there with tears rolling down her face, that I had to do something. I didn't care that Sam was in the other room; I sat down next to her and scooted her onto my lap.

"Please don't cry. Everything will be all right," She shook her head, but I kept going. "Hey, my parents died when I was your age. I went to live with my grandpa then, and he passed a few years ago."

"I didn't know that," She sniffed. "How?"

"My parents were in a car crash, just like yours. Old Quil got cancer."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too. But, I got over it. That's what friends are for, to help you through the bad stuff. Doesn't mean you can't miss them, though. You just have to move on and think about all the good times. Now, what can I do to get you happy again?"

We ended up going to First Beach and swimming until even I was freezing. I shouldn't have let her do that, because she got a cold the next day. Eventually she moved on. She was good at suppressing bad memories.

* * *

Over the years, she grew up. As I watched her grow, I became much more aware of my feelings towards her. Gravity certainly did move, as Jacob had once described it. I could be in the middle of patrol, only to come running at full wolf-speed to her front door if I heard that she needed help with a math problem or, later on, with friend drama.

With her age came her mood swings. Claire had the most frequent mood swings I had ever seen in a teenage girl. One moment, she would be all happy-go-lucky, and the next, she was slamming the door in your face and screaming bloody murder.

The fact that Claire was physically maturing did not escape my notice. It was getting extremely difficult for me to keep a handle on myself when I was alone with her. Even when we were surrounded by the pack, my mind constantly fought with my body about how I should react whenever she touched me.

Claire slowly developed an obvious crush on me. Sometimes, she purposely toyed with my emotions just to see what I would do. In the winter, she would slide closer to me as I drove her to school, claiming that she was cold. Sam's strict orders not to touch Claire were constantly in the back of my mind, and even thinking about putting my arm around her was enough to hear his voice in my head acting as my conscience.

Summertime came, and with it, Claire's birthday. It was a few weeks ago when I really realized just what Claire could do to me. She wanted to go shopping for a new swimsuit she could wear to the bonfire. Normally, Emily would have taken her, but the kids needed her that day, so I got appointed as chauffeur. At first, I was fine with it. I had seen Claire in a swimsuit before, so this wasn't going to be a big deal. Then I went running with Seth and caught an image of Katy in a bikini. I replaced Katy's face with Claire's, and my senses went into overdrive. I couldn't take her. She would want a bikini, just like Katy. Knowing her, she would try on dozens of them. I wouldn't be able to restrain myself with so much...Claire...on display. I phased back to tell Claire that I wasn't going to be able to take her shopping, and then ran for hours. I finally calmed down enough to talk to Sam. He claimed to be proud of me for making the right decision, but I think he was really just glad that his stupid rules were being followed.

* * *

The days before Claire's birthday made me nervous. Just thinking about Claire's reaction was enough to keep me up at night. Would she run away in fear? Would she think I was joking? Would she even believe me? I severely hoped that, like most of the other girls, she would just accept it after getting over the initial shock.

The fateful day came, and Claire was grumpy in the morning. I thought long and hard about just how and when I would tell her about me being a werewolf. It almost slipped out when we were alone during breakfast, but my nerves got the best of me. Several excruciatingly long hours later, it was time for the bonfire. I helped unload the truck in a daze and shoved food in my mouth without really tasting it. Every cell in my body was focused on Claire and how she was acting. She looked happy, which was good. It would make the blow of information somewhat less harsh. I impatiently waited for Jared to turn on the music so I could ask Claire to dance.

She seemed shocked when I interrupted her and Katy's reckless spinning, but when her friend left, Claire eagerly stepped towards me. At first, we didn't know what to do, so we settled for shuffling in place like two children at a junior high dance. Katy appeared out of nowhere and pushed us together. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her as we swayed totally out of sync with the music, but it didn't matter. The fact that I was holding Claire and she seemed to like it was enough for me.

When the music ended, I decided that it was time to tell Claire. I didn't notice how deep into the forest I was taking her until she asked me if I was planning on raping her.

"Not unless you want me to," I whispered under my breath.

"Excuse me?"

_Nice going, Quil,_ I thought to myself,_ she heard you_. "N-nothing. Never mind." I actually blushed in spite of myself.

She pestered me more for her present, and I asked her if she remembered the stories that Sam told. Technically, it was against the treaty for anyone who wasn't part of the pack to know about us, but she was my imprint. When we held pack meetings, Claire would sneak up behind me and listen to the legends when she was supposed to be off sleeping with the little kids. I caught her several times and promised not to tell anyone, but the promise sort of came out every time I phased. Luckily, Sam didn't have a problem with her hearing anything, as long as she still believed that he was just telling campfire stories.

"You mean the ones about the spirit warriors and the cold ones and stuff like that?"

I nodded. "Yeah, those ones. Well... What if I told you that they were real? Would you believe me?" Claire thought about this for a moment, and then said that of course she would believe me. Waves of relief rolled off of me.

"Would you believe me if I told you that my dog was a unicorn?" She laughed. I could feel my face drop. She didn't believe me. I almost wish that she had run away in fear. At least then I could comfort her and show her that I wasn't that bad. But it was a totally different thing if she didn't believe me.

I tried to convince Claire that I really was being serious. After making a questioning remark about my sanity, she stalked off in the wrong direction. A few minutes later, I turned her around and we walked towards the beach. Sam was my last chance at getting Claire to believe me. Maybe if she actually listened to her own uncle, then she would accept it. From the beach, we heard Katy call for everybody to hurry up. Claire's party was doubling as a pack meeting, so the legends would be told. Sam was just about to begin once Claire and I got there. I watched her face as Sam talked. I couldn't read the emotion on her face, but I'm pretty sure she shut down for a while. She hardly even blinked. Though my eyes were totally transfixed on Claire's, my mind wandered.

Why was imprinting so difficult? I thought of the others' stories. Embry and Jacob had it the worst. About five years ago, Embry met Sarah, who was new in town. Always the gentleman, Embry offered to show her around La Push, just like all the other new girls. The tour eventually morphed into a date, but, unlike all the other new girls, this date didn't end with Sarah waking up in Embry's bed the next day. He really liked her, so they started seriously dating. He took her to one of our little parties, where she met Paul. Paul imprinted on her right then and there. Embry was borderline suicidal for a few months, and he's never been the same since.

Jacob was a different story. After Bella took off with that bloodsucker, he spent a year in denial in Canada. When he came back, he looked absolutely beat. I don't think he phased back to being human for a few weeks straight, which really takes a toll on our bodies. We had to take him to the hospital because he was so messed up. It was there that he first saw Amber. Amber was his nurse, and instantly fell in love with Jacob. Since he was still depressed over Bella, Jacob was totally against liking another girl. It took him quite a few years to go out with Amber. We had told her that he'd had his heart broken, and she was really understanding and patient with him. I'm so happy that Amber was so patient with him, because they finally got married just a few months ago. Both of them knew that it could end badly, because Jacob never imprinted on her. They were both brave, putting their happiness on the line like that. It was sort of against the rules, but Jacob was allowed to tell Amber about the pack. Now, everyone treats her as an imprint, not just possibly-erasable chapter in the life of Jacob.

Sam continued talking for quite a while. Only when he was done did Claire finally look at me. For the longest moment, it was just me and her; everybody else had conveniently disappeared. She was thinking extremely hard about something, and then she jumped up and ran away. I was so mad that I started shaking. I was mad at myself for thinking that this would go smoothly. I was mad at Claire for refusing to believe me. No, I couldn't be mad at Claire, it wasn't possible to be mad at her. I was mad at Sam for having me wait so long to tell her. I was infuriated with everyone in the world except Claire.

I could feel my skin starting to tear as the pack came and held me down. Claire glanced back just once as she ran. I probably looked like a crazed animal to her. It was almost enough to make me phase right there. Almost. I knew that if I did, I would lose control. If I lost control, my friends wouldn't be able to hold me down, and then who knows what could have happened. That was my greatest fear about telling Claire what I was. I had the power to hurt her, like Sam hurt Emily, and I couldn't live with myself looking at her every day and knowing that I hurt her.

Instead of phasing, I settled for anger at Sam. If she had known earlier, she would have believed me. I could have held the imprinting factor off until today, but not the werewolf part. No, if I had told her earlier, she definitely would have believed me, no questions asked.

"How could you do this to me, Sam?" I screamed. "How could you make me wait this long to tell her?" Against my better judgment, I hurled myself at my leader's unsuspecting figure and pinned him to the ground. Immediately, everyone else, even Leah, was on me, throwing me across the beach. I sprinted back and began swinging wildly at an injured Sam, sputtering insults at him in between punches.

Jacob was closest to me, and he tried to get my arms around my back. "Quil, calm down. Now. Claire will believe you, I know she will. She'll come back, and she'll believe you."

Anger clouded my senses as I retorted the only degrading comment I could think of. "Easy for you to say. You never imprinted."

Everyone went silent. Hours passed, but maybe it was only seconds. All I could register was my ragged breathing and the hateful glare Jacob was giving me. Suddenly, Jacob phased faster than lightening and was ripping at my throat. I changed and was bombarded with his thoughts.

_How DARE you say that. You saw how long it took for me to get over Bella. I'm finally happy and now you RUIN it. Just look at her. How would you like it if I made Claire look like that, huh? _

I shot a quick glance at Amber, seeing her wounded face glisten with tears. The sight of her caught me off guard, giving Jacob an opportunity to pin me to the ground.

_Jake, I'm being stupid._ I thought.

_Really? I didn't notice._

_No, seriously, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you guys like that. Just give me another shot at Sam, and I'll be fine._

At the thought of a threat to Sam, Jacob gripped my throat.

_Don't EVER threaten him again._

_If I could have told her earlier, she wouldn't have run away from me because I'm a freak of nature. _

_Says who?_

_Me._

_It would have been just the same. She will get over it. Just forget about it for now._

I couldn't forget about it. I was the reason that she was wandering around in the forest. What if she got hurt? It would be entirely my fault. Again. So it was impossible for me to forget something I did to put her in danger.

_Quil, forget about it._

_No..._

I had to find Claire. I fought to get away from Jacob, but his anger towards my comment about him and Amber was still present, so he fought back just as hard. We were practically ripping each others throats out when we were joined by another voice.

_Quil, Jacob, stop it now. That's an order._

Still fuming, we couldn't ignore an order, so we stopped.

_Phase._

_But what about our clothes?_

_Collin got you some new ones._

We returned and the anger boiled down. Sam looked horrible, but he was healing pretty fast. I was immediately ashamed of my outburst.

"Oh, crap, you guys, I'm sorry."

My apology was met with silence, but from the looks in everyone's eyes, I was mostly forgiven. We cleaned up the place for a while before I brought up the fact that Claire hadn't returned yet.

"Give her some time, Quil. She'll come back on her own." Emily replied.

"But there could be bears out there. Or rabid squirrels. Or bloodsuckers."

"Will you relax?"

"We haven't smelled any leeches in a long time."

"Claire could take on any squirrel that came her way."

My objections were shot down, and the only thing left to do was wait.

So we waited. And waited. We waited for so long, even Sam was getting agitated.

"I think we should go look for her now." I whispered for the hundredth time.

"I think Quil's right. Claire would have come back by now." Said Katy, who was chewing on the ends of her hair nervously.

"Sam?"

All eyes were on the leader as he nodded.

"If you find her, bring her back here. Emily will talk with her."

All of us fanned out to search for Claire. Paul and I were running the fastest, so we reached the border first. In my mind I saw Claire chatting with a block of marble. The sight was accompanied by a sickeningly sweet stench.

_Quil..._ Paul thought.

_Don't do anything. I want to be the one who rips him to shreds. _

Anger surged through my veins as I ran. If that parasite was breaking the treaty, there would be absolute hell to pay from Sam. If he touched my Claire... I ran faster as I thought of why she was in this situation. It was because of me. Stupid, selfish, me. I was putting her life in danger because I was too immature to handle her reaction. I pictured the leech's body in bloody pieces on the forest floor.

_There's no need for that, Quil_. Sam invaded my head. _Paul doesn't think he's hurting her. It doesn't seem like they're over our border, either. Don't do anything. Wait with Paul until the rest of us get there to negotiate._

_Don't DO anything, Sam? She's you're niece, aren't you mad? What is there to negotiate?_

_You don't think I would enjoy killing it? I'm only doing this for your sake. Think of what it would do to Claire if she saw him ripped to shreds._

I guess Sam was right, but I still had the right to be mad. I made it to Paul and fidgeted as we waited for the others to catch up. They finally made it, and we advanced forward.

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_ I promise promise promise that the next chapter will have actual new stuff in it._

R E V I E W

And enjoy Breaking Dawn!


	6. Fetch

Author's Note: Let's make this quick, before you all maul me to death for being MIA for almost two months. I'm sorry!!

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Claire's POV

There were nine of them, all as huge as the horses we saw at the fair last year. They were all looking at Emmett and me. A big one near the front stared right into my eyes. It sounds crazy, but it looked familiar. I was so terrified; I scooted closer to Emmett, who was glaring back at them.

"Emmett…" I whimpered. "I'm scared."

He put his arm around my shoulder to comfort me. I didn't expect it to be colder than ice. "Don't worry, Claire, they won't touch you. It's me they want to kill." The wolf that was focused on me growled deeply and started to lunge.

I screamed, and before I could register that the creature hadn't actually jumped, Emmett disappeared. He was now in front of the biggest wolf and seemed to be talking to it.

"Emmett, are you crazy!" I hissed. He ignored me and continued talking.

"Before you came, I didn't even touch her, I swear." The one who almost jumped growled again. "Hey, back off. It was only because you guys scared her. So is it a fight you're looking for? Because I suggest you leave her out of it. She's already terrified enough." Emmett's golden eyes were hard as he spoke.

After a moment, the biggest wolf cocked his head towards a deeper part of the forest and started walking. The rest of the pack and Emmett followed it.

I was so petrified that I didn't see one of them lag behind, still staring at me with gigantic brown eyes. It took a few hesitant steps towards me before I noticed.

"Please," I begged quietly. "Don't hurt me." Its eyes dropped, making the creature look somewhat ashamed. It slowly loped past me, leaving me alone in the forest. Once again, tears ran down my face as I shivered uncontrollably from the cold and the fear. I was just so scared. What if one of the things had attacked me? What if the big brown one came back? What would I do then?

I didn't want to die. I wanted Quil. Despite the fact that he was being totally insane, I wanted him to be there. I wanted him to tell me that I was being stupid, that my mind was getting totally out of whack again, whatever. I just wanted Quil to hug me and tell me that everything was going to be okay.

A twig cracked behind me. _Great._ I thought. _It's back, and it's going to kill me._ I curled up tighter and put my head in my arms. _Well, goodbye Quil. I loved you._ For a moment, I wondered what the wolf would do to me. Would it maul me, or be merciful and just bite my head off or something quick?

I could hear it getting closer.

"Claire?" A voice asked out of the darkness.

"_Quil?_" I was totally confused. A wolf disappears into the forest, and then out comes Quil? Unless... "Oh my God, Quil. You were right."

He sort of laughed. "Why wouldn't I be?" I immediately felt guilty.

He was a werewolf. Quil. My Quil, my best friend, was a _werewolf._ And he fully expected me to accept that and move on like nothing happened.

"No."

"Claire, I—"

"No!"

I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't! It was just too... weird.

"What can I do to make you believe me?" He asked desperately.

I didn't think as the words slipped out of my mouth.

"Show me."

"Claire, are you sure? You just freaked out on me..."

"Just do it." I whispered and squeezed my eyes shut, burying my head between my knees.

I felt the heat by my side disappear. After a few seconds, I heard a muffled tearing sound and the wolf came around the tree. He whimpered, which ripped at my heart. This was what he really was, and I was scared to death of him. _Suck it up, C. At least __try__ to be a good sport about it._

My eyelids slowly inched open. The sight of him was just as utterly huge as it had been a few minutes ago, but it wasn't as scary. He was the same deep chocolate brown as his hair. I reached out to touch the fur, wondering if it was as soft as it looked. It was softer. To me, now, it actually wasn Quil sitting in front of me, not something else.

Quil looked me in the eyes for the first time. They were just as intricately hazel as always, but about five times bigger. It was surreal, just sitting in the middle of the forest with a gigantic wolf. I really should have been more afraid. Instead, I was…comfortable. He was like my old dog, Flippy, who now resided with some old neighbors in Portland. They were both huge and scruffy, and equally as dumb.

"Quil?" I whispered into his giant fuzzy ear. "If I threw a stick right now, would you fetch it?"

He rolled his eyes and licked my entire face.

"Quil!" I squealed. "That's so gross! This is never coming out of my hair!" I rubbed my wet face into his back and to my utter mortification, giggled. A deep sound that must have been a laugh came from Quil's throat. I thought again about how nice, though strange, it was to be sitting here with my best friend. In the forest. Alone. In the dark forest. Just us...

"Quil?"

The wolf beside me had abruptly stood up, ears pricked, and looked off in the direction that Sam and the others had gone. With a quick, apologetic look, he loped off, only to reappear as a human moments later.

"So would you fetch?"

He rolled his eyes again. "Only for you, Claire."

I absolutely beamed.

* * *

Yes, I know, I'm extremely evil for threatening to put an end to this, but I really didn't know where to go with the story. Lucky for you guys, school started and I have extremely boring Geometry and Biology teachers, so that means more story! You can also blame Allie Capphar and skellington13 for my absence, because their stories are addicting. They're so addicting, in fact, that you should go read them. Right after you send me tons of comments and suggestions on what else to do with this. Also, anyone willing to beta from time to time? I'll shut up now and let you get on with your lives D


	7. The Intrusion of Sam, Part I

_Author's Note: So, I have officially given up trying to pay attention in my science class, which is very beneficial to all you guys. I am BEGGING you to review! I know this is short, but at least say that you read it and thought it was okay or terrible or whatever you want. Say what you had for breakfast, I don't care, just review!! The next chapter will be up shortly._

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"Sorry I freaked out on you before. It was...sort of unexpected."

"It's okay, Claire, I forgive you." He ruffled my hair. "Now, why did you run into the forest? _Something_," Quil glared in the direction that the other wolves had led Emmett. "Could have killed you. I was so worried."

It _was_ sort of unforgivable for me to take off like that, but I was determined not to be a child about it. At least, not while Quil was watching. "Well, what was I supposed to do, just sit there and look stupid?" So much for not seeming childish... "Anyways, what are the..." I couldn't bring myself to say wolves "Others doing to Emmett? He's my friend. They hurt them, I hurt them back." I tried to put on a brave face, even though I was absolutely terrified at the thought of taking on nine huge…things…

"Um, about that…" His eyes hardened. "You shouldn't be friends with Emmett. It's not safe."

This was ridiculous. "And why the hell not? Does he do drugs? Does he drink? Has he done anything illegal? Probably not. According to that, he meets your friend requirements for me. Besides, he's nice. He said he used to know Jake. He didn't try to hurt me or anything. I just spent the last hour talking to him before you traipsed in with your little puppy dog friends. It was actually pretty nice." He knew better than to piss me off.

"No, Claire, you really shouldn't be friends with him."

"Why. Not."

"Were you paying any attention at all tonight? Cold ones? Vampires, Claire. Emmett is a vampire."

"No."

"Claire, why can't you take this seriously?"

"I _am_ the one that's taking this seriously. There are no vampires running around La Push. None."

"And we want to keep it that way."

"In 'we' you mean—"

"The pack. Sam's our leader. That's why we always crash at his house."

"Oh," More pieces were falling into place, like why they all loved to run and ate like...dogs... and hated cats and always traveled together and... "You're still avoiding my first question. What are they doing to Emmett?"

He sighed and looked sort of tense. "You really don't know how dangerous vampires are, Claire. When he touched you..." His scorching eyes bore into mine. "It took all I had not to kill him right then and there."

My heart skipped a beat. His _eyes._ It was starting to look like this thing about Emmett being dangerous was just a cover up. He looked... envious. I tried not to get my hopes up. But if he acted like this just because I hung out with another guy for a few minutes, imagine what he would do if I actually _dated_ another guy... "Geez, Quil, jealous much?"

"Just a little bit." He whispered huskily. At least, I think that's what he said, but it came out so quietly that I wasn't sure I was supposed to hear it.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

For the second time that day, I saw Quil blush.

"Listen, Claire." I'm still surprised that all his hair didn't fall out due to how much he was scratching his head. "There's something else that I want to tell you."

My full attention was glued on him, thoughts of us racing through my brain. _He likes me. He likes me. He likes me. PLEASE let it be that he likes me._

"Claire," His insanely hot fingers played with my bracelet. _Please oh please oh pleeeeeease! _"The first time I saw you..." _Here it comes!_

"Quil!" Came a shout from the distance.

I think I let out an audible growl. Sam. Leave it to my uncle to ruin the moment. Quil pounded the tree behind me in frustration.

"What!" He shot daggers at his leader.

Sam strolled up with the biggest grin on his face.

"So, what are you two kids up to?"

I swear, that man is just so...UGH! He ignored the hateful stares from both of us and started blabbering on about how good the food was tonight.

"What's your point, Sam?" Quil asked, still mad about being interrupted.

"Oh. Have you told her?"

"Obviously."

"Did she believe you?"

"I don't know, ask her. She's standing right here."

Sam gave me a long look. "Look, I know you must think that we're all a bunch of freaks, running around the town as giant dogs. But as strange as it is, it's true. Can you handle that Claire?" I hated this. He was making me feel like a little kid again. In front of Quil. I prayed that he wouldn't start calling me baby names. "Claire Bear?"

"All right, that's enough. If I say I believe you, will you both stop treating me like I'm two?"

Quil chuckled. "Whatever you say, Claire Bear."

I punched him, but hurt myself more than I did him. "Never. Say that again. What happens in the forest—"

"Stays in the forest." They both chimed.

"Thank you. Now, where's Emmett?"

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	8. Internal Chaos

_Author's note: I'm sorry, yet again, for taking so long. Blame my school if you must. I will honestly try to get the next chapters up as soon as possible. I finally figured out most of the plot line, and I have a feeling that most of you are going to hate me for it..._

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So there was this treaty. Quil explained it all to me on the car ride home, but I didn't understand half of it. From what I could gather, the werewolves hated the vampires because they smelled bad. Most vampires drank human blood, but Emmett and his family killed animals, which made them a little less bad. A long time ago, Sam and the head of Emmett's coven made an agreement that the wolves had the power to kill any vampire that crossed the La Push border. Everyone had thought Emmett had crossed that border, but apparently I had wandered into Forks. As long as Emmett and his family didn't bother us again, there would be no problems.

"But what if I want to see Emmett, huh?"

"No."

"You're the one who wants me to have friends."

"No."

"But what if—"

"Claire, it will always be no. You need normal friends."

"I have normal friends."

"Name three."

"You, Katy—"

"That are under the age of eighteen."

I thought much too hard about that.

"Ashley."

"Who?"

"Never mind. Um...Kim."

"She's almost thirty, C."

"No, not that Kim, the one in my art class."

"Have I met her?"

"No?"

"Then she doesn't count."

"Um..." I had to think. All of my friends were either related to or in the pack, and half of them weren't potty trained yet. I was pretty much a loner at school, so I didn't have anyone I could hang out with. On second thought... "Ryan Marshall." That got Quil's attention.

"Who?"

"Ryan Marshall. You know, the guy that danced with me at homecoming."

Quil visibly tensed. I knew that he hated me having guy friends that weren't his friends, so this had potential to be good. "That scrawny little white kid?"

I couldn't hold back my laugh. Honestly, I didn't really like Ryan that much, but he had been drooling over me since last year, and I knew he would be more than eager to come over if I asked him to.

"That very one."

"Claire, you know how much I don't like you having guy friends."

"Yes I do. But what I don't know is why."

He pulled up in front of his house. "Because guy friends can turn into boyfriends."

"So?" I waited for him to respond as we got out of the car. Quil came around to my side and stood closer to me than he normally would have.

"So maybe it would bother me a lot if you had a boyfriend."

My heart was dancing around inside my chest and I ducked my head a little so he wouldn't see me blushing and grinning like a fool. "What's that supposed to mean?"

When I finally looked up, he was staring at me like he did in the forest, his eyes burning with...something that was definitely not hate.

"What do you think, Claire?" He put one hand on either side of my head, slowly pinning me against the truck. We were so close that I was almost sweating from the heat that he radiated. My head was spinning uncontrollably.

"I think that means you like me?" I whispered, hoping that I was right, but fearing that I might be wrong. I looked down at my dirty shoes again.

He moved closer, close enough to kiss me. "Is that what you really think?" Both of us were whispering now, almost so low that our voices were barely audible.

"Yes."

His head inched forward so that it was almost touching mine. If I tilted my face up the tiniest bit, our lips would touch. But would he kiss me? My mind went crazy as I tried to weigh the chances of it actually happening. I took the risk and raised my face almost to his. All he had to do was move his lips and then—

"Good." As he spoke, I could feel his breath and the slightest touch of his mouth. Not able to take this any longer, I tried to close in the gap between us, but Quil was faster.

Before I knew what was happening, all that was left in front of me was cold air. I heard Quil laughing and the door slamming.

Stupid Quil. I was so mad. You don't hover a centimeter away from a girl and not kiss her. Not unless you want to get the crud beat out of you.

I ran onto the tiny porch and almost collided with Embry, who was blocking the door.

"Embry, why on Earth are you here?"

"Um… The last time I checked, this was _my_ house. Plus, I need to get these steaks to Emily. So, why are _you_ here?"

The barbecue had ended hours ago, and they were still eating? Whatever, he was still in my way.

"Move." I glared.

"Sorry kid, I can't do that."

"Now, Embry."

"Nope." He looked too smug for his own good.

"Yes."

"Come on kid, stop bothering poor Quil. He's had a hard day, with you almost getting killed by a bloodsucker and all."

"He did not try to kill me and he's not a vampire. Now if you would PLEASE move, I'll just be a minute."

That stupid grin of his was getting really annoying.

"Look kid; just give him a few minutes. He's new at this."

"You're not making any sense at all. And stop calling me kid if you want to keep that smile on your face."

Embry tried to hide his laugh with a cough, and started cracking up. "Alright, alright. Whatever you say, kiddo."

He asked for it.

"OW!" I hopped around in a circle, holding my right hand in pain. Slapping Embry was like slapping a brick wall. Only worse.

I heard Quil barge through the house. "Embry, what did you DO to her?" The combination of seeing his face, my throbbing hand, and Embry picking on me made me explode.

"QUIL ATEARA, GET DOWN HERE AND KISS ME DAMMIT!"

Everything was silent for a heartbeat, and then Embry promptly disappeared.

"Aw Claire, what happened to your hand? Did you punch him? Don't you remember what happened last time?"

The last time I hit Embry, my hand was sore for three days. Remember kids: violence is not the answer.

"He deserved it." I muttered, still holding my stinging hand.

Quil couldn't help but try to comfort me. That's what he did. He was my friend, and he comforted me when I was hurting and he was there for me when I needed him. I wanted it to be more than that. Seeing as how we were pretty close again, I decided to hint that maybe I wanted to be kissed.

"Quil," I breathed, hopefully not too embarrassingly loud. "Kiss me." Subtlety was never my strong point.

I looked into his eyes as they started to blaze again. "Why?" He whispered, just as quietly as I had.

"_Why?_" I was taken aback. "Because I've been in love with you for the last two years and it's my birthday and I have this crazy idea that just _maybe_ you might like me as more than a friend. And besides, if you don't kiss me, I might just have to kiss you, and that would be awkward, considering I've never kissed a guy before. Have you ever kissed a girl? I'm sure you have, you're Quil. Who wouldn't want to kiss you?" I was rambling now. I mentally cursed Quil yet again. Why did he have to have that kind of effect on me? It was like my brain stopped functioning every time he got close, and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

"I can't kiss you, Claire."

I stared at him with my mouth half open.

"What?"

Tears stung at my eyes again. What was wrong with me? Had my hormone levels suddenly skyrocketed? I never, _never_ cried. Why now? I revisited the trigger for my potential waterworks. Quil couldn't kiss me. He hadn't said that he shouldn't, or even that he didn't want to, but couldn't. Was I that absolutely revolting? So childish that he couldn't stand the thought of our lips touching? Rejection had never hurt so badly.

"Aw shit," He muttered under his breath as I pushed away from his overheated grasp. "Claire, come on! I didn't mean it! I wasn't thinking! Seriously Claire, let me explain!"

My shoes pounded on the well-traveled dirt road. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ I repeated over and over, my thoughts keeping in time with my feet. I was so gullible that it wasn't even funny. I walked for a minute or two, ignoring Quil's pleas and attempts to start the rusting blue Toyota that was The Thing.

Quil's ancient truck groaned to life and whined to catch up with me.

"Claire, at least let me take you home." He begged through the open window.

"I'd rather walk." I snapped, even though the moon was casting eerie shadows on the trees and creeping me out.

"Get in the truck."

"Really Quil, do you _want_ to be arrested for kidnapping?"

"Stop being a child."

That was the deciding comment for me. I really _was_ being a child about this. Rational fifteen year olds accepted rides from their friends instead of stomping around a deserted road at night.

"Fine then."

The Thing idled long enough for me to pry open the door and fumble for my seatbelt.

"Thank you."

I didn't respond.

It was silent until we pulled up to the glowing lights of Aunt Emily's house. My mouth did another one of those things where it opened and didn't confer with my brain before speaking.

"'Can't', Quil?"

"Huh?"

"'Can't' kiss me, or 'won't'?"

He furrowed his eyebrows in anger.

"'Can't'."

"Why?" I asked, feeling absurdly bold.

"Sam," He growled. I would have laughed at his tone if I wasn't so pissed. "Can you please do me a favor?" His voice softened.

"Hmm?"

"Talk to Emily. She might be able to explain some stuff."

It made sense. Normally, I would have gone to my mom for advice, but Aunt Em was the closest I could get.

"Okay."

The smile on his face was totally worth all this internal chaos.

* * *

_Twilight_ comes out in a month and a day!! You guys excited?


	9. The Intrusion of Sam, Part II

The entire house was illuminated with cheesy Christmas lights. Leave it to Emily. She was the master at all things shiny and excessive. The party was in full swing, even though it couldn't have been any earlier than midnight. After attempting to pry open the corroded truck door, I gave up and just hopped out the open window.

"One of these days, you're going to fall." Quil teased.

"Well then maybe you should get a new truck so I don't have to resort to such a dangerous escape route."

"Uh huh. We'll see."

As we strode up the dirt driveway, he kept bumping into my arm. At first I thought it was an accident, but after the fifth time I got annoyed.

"Will you quit it?"

"Quit what?"

"Trying to make me fall. You're so inhumanly strong that I'm going to end up on the ground pretty soon."

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to make you fall. If I was, you would know."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

And with that, he shoved me enough to make me trip a few feet off the path.

"Quil!"

"I said you would know!"

"You. Are SO going to pay."

It became a shove war, except it wasn't really fair since he had about twenty inches and fifty pounds of muscle on me. At least he was nice enough to let me pretend I was winning sometimes. I was laughing so hard that I fell, dragging Quil with me. He saved me from cracking my head open on the dirt-packed ground just in time, then turned us over so I was resting on top of him. Oh, how the teenage hormones were raging.

I was certain that he was going to kiss me. My hair fell down over my eyes and he gently brushed it away with his overheated hand. It was the perfect moment; I thought we were totally alone.

"Claaaaire and Quiiiil si-in in a tree." Came a high pitched five-year-old voice from the patio. "K-I-S-S—"

"Quil Ateara get your ass off the ground right now!"

Sam. Of course. Quil obviously didn't want to get up, but it was a clear order. "I'm sorry, Claire. It's...I can't..."

"It's fine." I said, attempting to smile.

"Really?"

_No._ "Yes."

"I'm sorry Claire. Really, I am."

"Really?"

"Really. Come on."

I unsuccessfully ignored the sparks that flew through my body as he reached down to help me up.

I was having fun. It was the best time I'd had in a while, even more entertaining than the bonfire just hours before. There was more food, of course, and the music that seemed to migrate with the pack. There was an extremely intense Guitar Hero tournament at the moment, and Paul was losing. Seth was showing off for his new girlfriend and pulling crazy guitar stunts while Paul struggled to keep his giant fingers on the right buttons, but eventually they were tied.

"Last song!" Seth shouted enthusiastically. It was funny how serious everyone got then. Every person in the room was glued to the television screen and the two men in front of it. When the final note came, Paul was just a second too late, and he missed, making Seth victorious.

"YES! And the crowd goes wild!" Seth cheered and made fun of Paul's inferior guitar playing skills. Everybody was teasing Paul, but not watching him. I was the only one who noticed that he was shaking. He looked mad. No, mad was an understatement. His giant fists were clenched and his whole body looked like it would explode any second.

"Paul?"

He turned towards me. His eyes were on fire, and it was frightening to say the least. Quil was the only one who looked up at the sound of my voice and followed my gaze to his friend.

"Paul, get out of here." Everyone looked at us and froze. Paul was the only one moving, still shaking violently.

"Now Paul, before you hurt someone." Sam ordered.

I was totally confused. It was just a game of Guitar Hero, not the end of the world. No need for him to get that upset about it. Then again, this was Paul. He had a tendency to overreact, like me. Paul stayed for one more moment, and then bolted out of the house. His girlfriend Mina tried to follow him, but Kim held her back.

"Just give him a few minutes, he should be fine."

Mina shot a glance at Aunt Emily, who smiled sympathetically. A wolf howled somewhere in the forest, sending involuntary shivers down my spine. Quil relaxed against the wall.

"Was that…Paul?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

My eyes widened.

"What would happen?"

"Hmm?"

"What would happen if Paul stayed?"

Quil wrapped an overprotective arm around me and glanced at the door, just to make sure that Paul hadn't come back yet.

"You know Emily's scars?" He looked at me like I should be getting this.

"What about them?"

"She got them from Sam. He got mad one day and lost control. She was too close."

It took me a moment to register. "Oh… So if Paul had…" I thought of the gruesome possibilities that could have taken place.

"That's why I can't get mad at you." Quil smiled. "First of all, it's impossible for me, but even then, I couldn't forgive myself if I did something to hurt you like that."

I caught on to something that I probably wasn't supposed to. How is it impossible for you to get mad at me?" That had to mean that he liked me. It was a dead giveaway if there was one.

"Uh…I…um…" He sputtered, looking somewhat caught.

"Come on, Quil, just spit it out. You know you like me." I laughed with what I hoped was a flirty smile.

He hesitantly looked around for someone, and then led me to a somewhat quiet corner. "Claire, there's something else that I've been meaning to tell you. Sam said that it should wait, but I really think you're old enough now." Good, at least _somebody_ thought I was mature. "Being a werewolf has lots of…advantages, you could say. There's the huge muscles, the insane speed, the abnormally high temperature that doesn't make us sick, tons of cool stuff. And we're sort of telepathic too. When we're wolves, we can hear each others' thoughts."

"Woah." That was pretty much the only thing I could think of right now. It was strange, but cool.

"There's also this crazy thing called imprinting." His voice lowered in enthusiasm. "It's weird at first, but it's—"

"Am I interrupting anything?"

Sam again. I'm seriously going to sentence him to death by Chinese water torture someday. "Yes Uncle Sam, you are, actually."

"I see. Anything I can help with?"

"No, we're fine right now." I smiled sweetly. I grabbed Quil's huge hand and tried to drag him outside.

"Maybe it's better if Quil stayed in here, Claire."

A look passed between Sam and Quil, probably some freaky telepathic thing.

"Whatever, Sam." I said and marched out of the room.

I let the worn-out screen door slam behind me. Leave it to Sam to totally ruin the moment. Why wouldn't he just let Quil talk to me? It wasn't like we were going to jump each other or anything. It was just talking. What's the big deal?

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." I kicked a nearby spruce that had invaded the yard. After a while, I acknowledged the fact that someone was watching me.

"How long do you think that poor tree is going to last?"

"It would last longer if you let me talk to Quil."

Sam sighed. "He has some things he wants to tell you that he isn't supposed to."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

My foot was getting numb, so I switched legs.

"We can't tell you yet."

"So I'm still just little Claire? I'm growing up, Sam. I'm old enough to handle the responsibility of whatever you're being so stubborn about."

"I'm supposed to take your word based on that stunt you pulled tonight?"

I really was starting to feel bad for the tree now. I gave up and slid onto the grass facing Sam, the bark digging into my back on the way down.

"I want you to be ready when he tells you. Claire, just give it a few days. You need to let the werewolf thing sink in."

Ah, yes, how could I forget that my childhood crush was a werewolf?

"What do you mean by give it a few days?"

"I mean that you shouldn't talk to Quil alone."

I was, to put it plainly, exasperated. I couldn't talk to the only guy I liked simply because he had something to tell me. That was a new one. My uncle walked away, helpful as ever. "You should probably come back inside sometime soon. It's your party."

Going back inside meant going back to Quil, which was going to be awkward. I almost felt bad for him, seeing as how he was so nice to me. The teenage part of me was pissed at him, though. If he couldn't keep his big mouth shut, why was I the one being punished? How hard was it to keep a secret anyways, especially when it was a big important one?


	10. And So It Begins

_Author's Note: Again, sorry this is taking so long. Great news though, FIFTY reviews!!! That's amazing! Thank you to everybody who's still reading this!_

* * *

The party continued uneventfully, if you could call Brady chugging down half a dozen two-liter bottles of root beer uneventful. Quil and I avoided each other, much to the dismay of Kim and Emily. Sometime around midnight I decided to go to sleep because the party wasn't that fun anymore.

"'Night Aunt Emily, Sam." I said the last part perhaps a little too coolly.

"Goodnight Claire, see you tomorrow." My aunt said with a soft smile. I almost felt guilty, leaving her to do all the dishes, but I couldn't stand one more minute with Sam. What I needed right now was a nice hot shower.

It took a while for the water to get to a reasonable temperature. All I could think about was the only person who could make it hotter. Pushing the definitely R-rated thoughts out of my mind, I started humming to distract myself. It was just some mindless pop song that I had heard on the radio; one of those ones that you couldn't help but sing along to. Soon enough, I was absorbed with trying to remember exactly how the notes went and what the dance steps from the music video were. It served me right, trying to dance in the shower. I slipped and narrowly avoided hitting my head on the edge of the tub.

When I pushed the creaky bathroom door open, I was definitely not expecting Quil to be standing against the wall smirking.

"Were you planning on letting anyone else use the bathroom anytime soon?"

"Sorry I took so long." It was the most I was capable of saying; I was more concentrated on clutching my towel to my nonexistent chest and wishing I had brought my pajamas in with me.

"It's fine, I loved the personal concert. Great acoustics in there."

I could feel my face burning holes in my skin. "Don't ask for an encore anytime soon."

As I tried to shove past him, my towel got caught on a large chip in the wood that Sam was supposed to have fixed months ago. A sharp tug on the fabric sent me twirling around franticly trying to figure out what I had exposed.

Quil was as helpful as ever, laughing and pretending he wasn't checking me out. "Dude, it's okay, I didn't see anything." He assured me, even though he obviously did.

"Sure you didn't, now help me get this thing off."

He looked serious for an instant. "You sure about that?"

It was Claire Death Glare time. "Once I get into some clothes, I will slap you."

"No you won't, you'll forget by that time."

"Whatever. I can still threaten you, can't I?"

I marched to my room with as much dignity as I could gather before slamming the door and sliding to the floor. This was the worst birthday ever. My best friend is a werewolf with a secret he isn't supposed to tell me, so I can't talk to him without adult supervision. I ran away from him into a forest and met a vampire. On top of that, I had been _thisclose_ to kissing that best friend multiple times, only to be rudely interrupted by my brainless uncle. I growled again and wondered if I was part dog too.

"Claire?" Quil asked several minutes later.

I opened the door slowly and pretended to look mad as I leaned against the wall. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, actually I was wondering if you could give me some advice." He was fiddling with a small box that looked even tinier in his giant hands.

"Do I get paid?"

He chuckled quietly. God, just the sound of his _laugh_ was enough to make me want to jump him. _No, Claire. You've got to stick with it. You're concentrating on how NOT to be attracted to Quil._ Was I? If I was, it wasn't going so well.

"You don't get money, but you might get a reward."

"Okay, shoot."

"Well, you see, there's this girl." His eyes were shining so bright, he could have illuminated a pitch black room. "And I kind of like her, but I don't know if she likes me back."

"And?"

"And I really wanted to give her a present for her birthday, but she's been avoiding me and I don't want her to be mad at me."

"I don't think she's mad at you, Quil."

"Really?"

"An overprotective uncle, maybe, but never you. Actually, I think she might like you back."

"Overprotective uncle, huh? I don't know. She never mentioned anything about an uncle…" His eyebrows actually furrowed. Was he really acting? Oh, how he would PAY if he was messing with my head.

"Excuse me?"

"Nobody said it was you Claire."

I can't believe that I actually took him seriously for a few seconds.

"Stop screwing with me Quil, or you will be harmed in someway or another."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." All I wanted to do was wipe that huge smile off his face. Preferably with my lips…

"So. Where's my reward, huh?" I put a hand on my hip expectantly.

"I _was_ going to give you a stupid necklace charm," He walked into my room and dropped the pretty little box onto my bed. "But I just thought of something way better."

"What?"

Quil didn't have to answer. His lips were on mine before I could have a chance to finish my question. It was unlike anything I had ever imagined. This moment had been the subject of so many daydreams and diary entries, but it was nothing like I had expected. He was so gentle, but fiercely urgent at the same time. His hands were everywhere, on my waist, in my hair, cradling my face; every path those hands took left a trail of fire on my skin.

"Quil." I whispered, breathing much too heavily.

"Hmm." He murmured, his lips traveling down my neck.

"Why now?"

"Because."

"No, there has to be a reason why."

"No there doesn't."

"Is it because I'm fifteen now?"

"Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

I very happily obliged.

* * *

_Let's make it 50+ reviews, shall we?_


	11. And So It Continues

_To anyone and everyone who has the slightest interest in this: I am SO so sorry! I really can't apologize enough for not updating in well...forever. Too many other things were going on and this story became far too neglected. But, good news! It's summer and I've revised the plot line, so there will be many more timely updates and much much more drama. Everything will work out in the end, I promise. _

* * *

It went like that for a while. Quil told me all about being a werewolf, but I had the idea he was still hiding something. I tried to pry it out of him, but he refused. Our relationship wasn't much different. We were just…closer. I would sit next to him and unconsciously shift into his lap without either of us really noticing. Whenever one of us stepped into a room, the other was by their side in a matter of seconds. Katy was so happy for me, and Kim and Emily were constantly exchanging secretive smiles every time they saw us together.

When I started school, Quil drove me in the morning and was the first one in the parking lot when the final bell rang. Sometimes we even met at the fence for lunch; he would sneak off duty and talk to me through the rusting chain links. I wasn't exactly the most popular girl at school. Everyone knew who I was of course; it was a tiny school. I was the girl with no friends, but always had that stupid smile on her face and raced off when school ended. There were probably tons of rumors floating around, but I didn't care, I had Quil.

Katy was the only girl close to my age that I really wanted to talk to. I hated not being able to see her every day because she went to Washington State with Seth. She missed me terribly too, but we coped.

"You should ask him to homecoming!" She squealed on one of our many late-night phone calls.

I honestly wasn't sure. Were we officially official? What if he thought I was moving too fast? "What if he just thinks this is a fling, Katy? He could just blow me off and tell me to get a life."

"Trust me Claire, He wouldn't do that. Go for it! You only live once, you know."

"Have you ever heard of the word 'rejection'?"

"Nope. On the off chance he says no, you'll bounce back. But I guarantee he won't, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Katy, I really don't think it's such a good idea…"

"Ask him to the freaking dance, or I swear to God that I'll push you off the cliffs."

"Aw come on! That's not fair! You know how scared I was when—"

"DO IT!"

And that, my friends, is how I found myself in the kitchen one October morning sitting across from my maybe-boyfriend, tapping my fingers nervously.

"What's wrong Claire?"

Oh dear Lord, he was the one that had the decency to look worried while I was just sitting watching my fingernails go to waste. I took an extremely deep breath and just spit it out.

"Katy said I should ask you to homecoming and I thought it was stupid but she threatened to throw me off the cliffs and I don't really want to die but you don't have to go if you don't want to and—"

I was immediately smothered in a giant bear hug before I could embarrass myself any further.

"'Course I'll go with you!"

It was surprising, actually. I honestly didn't think he would say yes.

"Really?"

"Sure! Won't be as fun as a pack party, but if you want to go, I'll go with you."

"Great." I smiled as wide as I possibly could.

* * *

"No, the green one!"

"What about that blue one you tried on a few minutes ago?"

"Pink!"

The last comment was shouted from the chorus of little girls surrounding Kim and Emily. There wasn't a big selection of homecoming dresses from the only department store nearby, but Aunt Emily was set on finding me the perfect outfit. Leah wanted to come too, but Quil would have seen the dress in her head sooner or later, and I wanted it to be a surprise.

"Can't…breathe…" I was getting frustrated with the sparkly aqua dress Emily had suggested, and I ripped it off carelessly, gasping at the sickening sound of ripping fabric.

"Claire…What happened?" Damn Kim and her psychic powers…

"Uh….Nothing?"

Kim slipped through the threadbare curtain and started laughing.

"That poor thing! It didn't even stand a chance against you!"

I threw the ruined garment at her and mumbled about how we were going to have to pay for it now that it was ripped.

"It's because of these boobs. They're too big! It's so annoying!"

"Hon, if you got 'em, flaunt 'em like there's no tomorrow. Besides, Quil sure doesn't seem to mind them…"

She swatted at a shiny yellow number that flew out of my hands.

"Kim, this is useless. We're never going to find anything."

She was too busy examining the wreck of blue sparkles. "You know…"

"Don't use that tone with me."

"What tone?" Kim asked, wide-eyed and innocent.

"That tone. What are you plotting in that tiny little head of yours?" She either didn't hear me or chose to ignore my comment.

"Try this on again."

It would do no good arguing with her, so I did as instructed. The rip wasn't really that bad, just a five or six inch tear around the top left seam. It fit much better, though. "Arms out." I rolled my eyes as she walked around me slowly, nodding to herself. "We're buying this, and I'm fixing it up. Get dressed."

She impatiently walked out and started chattering to Aunt Emily. Leave it to Kim to be inspired by something seemingly important. Ever since taking a fashion designing class a few years ago, Kim thought she could make something spectacular out of anything. I had to admit, some of her stuff was actually pretty good. I just hoped she wouldn't mess this up.

We ended up getting a great discount on the dress, which made my aunt very happy. All the way home, all I heard about was how cute this was going to look and how she couldn't wait to get started on it. I thought it was silly, getting all worked up for a dress, but once Kim got started, there was absolutely no stopping her.

"You've never seen me in action, have you?" Kim asked a few days later as she led me to the spare room that she had filled with her sewing materials.

"Don't believe I have."

"It's going to be boring, but the result will be amazing. First, ground rules." She shoved a few bolts of fabric and some thread out if the way. "No phone."

"What?"

"If I have to go get something, you can't call Quil and tell him how much you miss him and how the dress looks and all that good stuff."

"Fine." I mumbled, begrudgingly handing over my purse.

"Second, stay still. Otherwise, I'll probably stab you and get blood all over the dress."

"Of course. Protect the dress at all costs. Got it."

She ignored me again. "Now, put on the dress and stand on this."

* * *

Much, much later, I was once again balanced on top of the milk crate. I lost count of how many times I taken the dress off so Kim could alter it, only to have her zoom back for more by the time I got my clothes on.

"Aren't you tired?"

"Almost done." Kim said through a mouthful of pins.

"You said that an hour ago!"

"It's been fifteen minutes, and I'm not lying this time."

I huffed in defeat, deserving a sharp pinprick. I shot up straight again.

"Told you to be careful." Kim snickered.

I started thinking about Quil again. If only it wasn't a stupid dance that I had asked him to. I wished it could have been something cooler; more sophisticated. It wasn't like there was much to do in La Push, but a school dance sounded so juvenile.

"He won't care." Kim assured me. "He's still getting over the fact that you're willing to go out in public with him."

It was then that I realized that this would be sort of a debut for us. Finally, the people who thought I was a total loser would see my amazing boyfriend. I smiled as I thought of what their faces would look like. Surely quiet little Claire wouldn't be associated with such a hottie, right? Proving them wrong was going to be a blast.

* * *

"Done." Kim exclaimed, satisfied. All I could register was that the poking and stabbing was finally over. She stepped back and smiled. "You should seriously consider modeling. Even without makeup, you look incredible right now!"

I was being guided to the mirror. I fully planned on just glimpsing my reflection in the mirror, putting my normal clothes back on, and running back to Quil, but I stopped short.

The electric blue dress I had tried in a cramped dressing room three days ago was totally gone. Instead, I was wearing a custom-made dress that looked more appropriate for an awards show than homecoming. The side I had so forcefully ripped was cut in a V and sort of corseted together by the black straps with a tiny bow at the hip. The bottom four inches were cut off to make a sash. About half of the sequins were gone, leaving a pretty sparkly design.

"Kim, this is amazing!"

"I know." She beamed.

Kim was elated. "This is so much better than I expected! Stay right here, I'm going to get Emily!" She hurried next door, instructing Jared not to come anywhere near her room on the way. In her haste she had forgotten to confiscate my tattered purse. I carefully flopped down on the cluttered bed and dug out my phone, pressing Quil's speed dial number.

"Hey." I said when he answered.

"What's up? I thought you were over at Kim's playing dress up."

I laughed despite myself. "She finished. It looks amazing, but I'm not supposed to be talking about it."

"Of course it looks amazing, you're wearing it."

I was glad he wasn't there to see me blush. I hated how my cheeks were constantly on fire whenever Quil talked to me. "Shut up Quil."

"Whatever, hey I gotta go, Sam wants me."

I hear the door slam and Kim's excited voice drifting upwards. "Just in time, Kim's dragging Aunt Emily up the stairs as we speak."

"See you soon C."

"Bye."

I hid my purse just in time.

"…and she looks so good in it, she should totally be a model…" Kim burst into the room. "All she needs is a little bit of makeup and hair, then she's set."

Aunt Emily actually gasped. "Oh Claire, you're absolutely gorgeous!"

"Thanks, Kim did a fantastic job, didn't she?" I hugged them both tightly. "I love you guys so much."

"You'd better; we're the ones that paid for this!" Emily laughed.

"Seriously, thank you so much."

"No problem, anything to see you happy."

For a brief instant, I thought of my mom and how much I missed her. She would have loved to have a say in this and help Kim. But, she was gone and this was my family now, and I loved them just as much.

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_Yes, fluff and a lot of it. But it is somewhat important to the story and I will update soon, hopefully within the next week or two. Thank you to absolutely everyone reading this story for sticking with me and yelling at me for not updating! Your reviews keep me going :)_


	12. Formalities

_I'm so excited that this story has gotten so many hits since I last updated! Pleeease review I'm begging you. I really want to know what you think and what you would like to see more of, less of, whatever. Thank you for reading this!_

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On the night of the dance, I peeked out the window and tried not to giggle as I watched Quil's truck struggle down the road. It couldn't even go three blocks without almost breaking down, how did he expect to get us to the school?

"He's here, he's here!" Shouted Kim's daughter Lizzie, who had been assigned as lookout.

"Thank you, Lizzie." I said as I climbed down the stairs.

"Nononononono! What do you think you're doing?" Shouted Aunt Emily as she pushed me right back up to where I had started. "He has to watch you come down!"

"Geez, Aunt Emily, I wouldn't have taken you for an old-fashioned girlie girl."

"Oh, stop it." She swatted at me. I noticed a slight glistening in her eyes.

"Are you crying?" I asked ridiculously.

"No." She rubbed at her face furiously.

"Aw, come on! It's just a dance!"

"Your mother would have loved to be here, that's all."

"She's right here, though." I said, fingering her necklace. "Don't make me cry, or Kim will have to redo my makeup and we'll miss the entire dance." We both laughed, remembering the terrible eyeliner incident that had almost ruined the dress fifteen minutes ago.

"He's inside now, you can go. But first, smile!"

I groaned as the camera flashed right in my face, momentarily blinding me.

Once she was downstairs talking happily to Sam, I made my way down and tried not to fall. I didn't notice that it was totally silent until I was safely on the bottom floor.

"What?" I asked, looking around. "Is there something on my face?"

"You look so pretty!" Lizzie yelled with all the enthusiasm of the little five-year-old she was.

"Yes she does." Murmured a low voice from the doorway.

It was the first time that I had seen Quil today. Quil without a shirt was definitely hot, but it didn't have much significance to me because I was raised with half-naked men. But Quil with a _tux_ was a whole different story. It fit him in all the right places and made him stand out even as he cowered by the door. He looked slightly uncomfortable in it, but that made him all the more comparable to the male model he should be.

"Claire?" Sam asked, slightly amused.

"Huh?"

"So what do you think?"

"About what?"

His obnoxious eyes were amused.

"Do you guys want to take my truck?"

Uncle Sam's truck was an old '99 Ford pickup that Embry and Jacob had fixed up. It wasn't much, but it was one of the nicest cars in La Push. The Ford also ran much better than Quil's truck.

"Sure, if you want to." I hadn't looked away from Quil's eyes for who knows how long.

The next few minutes were a blur of hugs, pictures, and, to my extreme embarrassment, flowers. Sam watched carefully as Quil pinned on my corsage, which matched the dress absolutely perfectly. I tried to ignore the fire that was burning where Quil's fingers brushed right above my heart. I tried to pin on his boutonniere without hurting him.

"Ouch!"

I looked up, frantic. "I'm sorry! I tried—"

I was cut off by his laughing. "You really think I could have felt that?"

I growled unimpressively, then turned around and smiled sweetly at my aunt and uncle.

"Can we go now?" One last hug from Aunt Emily.

"Be safe." She whispered. "I'll be expecting you home before one."

That was nice of her. My curfew was normally midnight, and the dance ended at eleven. Suddenly, I was nervous about being alone with Quil for so long.

"Okay. Thank you."

Sam was busy talking to Quil, whose eyes were still glued on me.

"I want her home exactly the same. Remember what we talked about?" Quil winced, but nodded. "Good. Now go have fun you two."

"You ruin that dress and I'll murder you." Kim threatened from the couch.

"I think we have enough pictures to remember it by."

"Just try not to rip it anymore?" She begged.

I laughed and led Quil out of the house.

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_Short, yes, but there will be more to come very soon. If you review I'll write faster :)_


	13. Homecoming

_Thank you for my lovely reviewers, I'm really glad that you are enjoying this. Next chapter will be up relatively soon :)_

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I relished in the rarity of the clear night. The moon was out and the stars were shining brightly, which was a welcome change from the usual cloudy nights in La Push. Quil looked nervous as he fumbled with Sam's car keys and opened my door for me.

"Thank you." I sang before hopping up without a problem.

I watched him smile to himself as he walked to the driver's side. He struggled with the door, and after a few moments, I leaned over and unlocked it for him.

"Thanks." He said as his eyes strayed across my now-gaping neckline. I had to remember that I wasn't wearing a bra. Kim had practically attacked me when I suggested that I wear one.

"Half the side is cut out! It would totally show!"

"It isn't that much Kim."

"I don't care, it would bug me!"

Actually having enough to fill out a dress was strange, considering how I mostly just wore a t-shirt and jeans.

"You look…incredible, Claire."

"You're not too shabby yourself."

It must have been the ridiculous perfume Emily had sprayed in my direction that made me grab his tie and pull him to kiss me. He broke away much too soon, leaving me gasping for air.

"No!" I complained.

He seemed pleased, but started the truck nevertheless. "Do you want to make it out of the driveway or what?"

He did have a point; Uncle Sam was glaring at us through the kitchen window as Aunt Emily walked by and swiped him with a spoon, winking at me as she shut the blinds.

"But Quil, I can't dance. Remember my birthday?"

"So, neither can I. We can look stupid together.

I sighed. "Okay, let's do this thing."

The drive to La Push High was short and spent in a comfortable silence. This was going to be interesting, that's for sure. I had second thoughts about not demanding that Katy come back for the weekend. Dances were always more fun with her. We pulled up to a half-empty parking lot and the faint thrum of heavy bass. Kim from my art class was at the front selling tickets.

"Hey Kim. Where is everybody?"

"Melissa is having a party at her flat in Seattle. It's first come first serve, and we got all the angsty rejects."

Nobody really liked Melissa, but she had tons of money. Her father was trying to buy her way into acting, and she was constantly missing school for minor casting calls that never called her back.

"That sucks. You still have tickets then?"

"Yeah. Two?"

Quil shoved a bill in front of her. She gave him a quick once-over and handed us the tickets.

"See you inside?" I asked.

"No, I have to stay out here." She looked sort of bugged about it. "All dolled up with nowhere to go."

"You should sneak in and join us." I said with a smile.

"I might."

We walked to the dimly lit gym hand in hand. Nobody was actually dancing. There were about fifty people standing near the back of the gym.

"Come on." Quil urged, dragging me right next to one of the speakers. As much as I didn't want to, my hips started moving and my head started swaying in time to the music. It was so loud that each beat shook my whole body. I felt Quil pressed against me with his hands on my hips, moving in sync. Pretty soon, more people started to join us, and the whole gym became a throbbing mob of bodies. The energy was almost tangible as the music continued getting louder, and I couldn't hear myself think. But I didn't need to; I felt whole right then, like nothing in the world could stop me from dancing. A few songs later, Quil spun us outside for air.

"This amazing Quil, thank you."

"You're the one who invited me."

"It's still fun."

Several people followed us out and came over.

"You're a great dancer Claire." Said Tina, valedictorian and head of every club imaginable.

"Thanks."

Quil's arm lazily snaked around my waist.

"You guys should come to our next concert." Invited Tina's boyfriend Jeremy. I was surprised that they were here and not at Melissa's; normally Jeremy and his band got into all the big parties.

"Claire!" A nasally, obscenely high-pitched squeal came from a few yards away. Tracy Britt was clattering over to us, trying not to fall in her designer heels. She was the only girl who honestly liked Melissa, and she always had to have the newest, hottest everything, especially guys. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Tracy, why aren't you at Melissa's? Or did she kick you out for wearing her shoes?"

She sneered at me.

"She took one of the extras from her dad's new movie up to her room and then we ran out of booze, so I decided to come here and see if I could find anyone interesting." Tracy was undressing Quil with her eyes. "And I'm sure glad I did."

Quil's arm constricted against my waist and he growled quietly.

"This is Quil. He's my boyfriend and he doesn't like surgically enhanced wannabes like you."

"How sweet." She grinned maliciously. "How long have the two of you been going out?"

"A few months now." Quil replied with venom in his voice.

"Oh good, it won't last much longer then. Call me when you break up."

Quil's arm was the only thing holding me back from pouncing on her skinny little back and gorging her eyes out.

"She's not worth it Claire." Tina tried to calm me. "Just ignore her."

"Easier said then done." I mumbled.

"Come on, let's forget about her and get back to the dance." Tina grabbed my hand and strode right back into the stuffy gym.

It was nice, having friends. Kim joined us and Jeremy yelled to Quil about last night's football scores over our heads and the blaring music. Near the end of the night, I was swaying against Quil. All the crazy dancing with Tina and Kim was tiring, and I closed my eyes and rested my head against Quil's broad shoulder. His lips brushed my hair and he pulled me even closer. We were in our little bubble of perfect and nobody could pop it.

"Mind if I cut in?" A deep voice asked. _Pop._

Quil's eyes flew open and he grew rigid, throwing me behind his back trying to protect me.

"Emmett!" I cried, racing to throw my arms around him. "What are you doing here?" I ignored Quil's obvious tension and continued talking to my friend. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

"Do you _want_ to die?" Quil interrupted.

"Let's go outside and talk this out. Quil kept trying to stay between me and Emmett, but I pushed him out of the way. "What's up?"

Emmett looked slightly scared of Quil for the first time. "It's Bella."

Quil's eyes narrowed. "I thought you already turned her into a bloodsucker. What does she want?"

"Charlie died yesterday."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Now will you leave us?"

"She wanted to invite the pack to the funeral."

"What's the matter with a phone call?"

"She thought it would be better if you were asked in person."

"What's the catch?" Quil seemed doubtful.

"Bella would like the imprints to come also."

"No." Quil growled, pulling me to him. What was an imprint? Why was Quil so against going to Charlie's funeral? I remembered Charlie Swan from holiday parties and the occasional bonfire. He was a retired policeman and Billy Black's best friend.

"Quil, why don't you want to go?"

"I don't want to be at a funeral with people who can't die."

Oh. I forgot about that part.

"Please just think about going." Emmett begged quietly. "Bella wants to see you all again."

"Tell her that if anyone comes, it'll be Jacob pushing his dad's wheelchair."

"Try to talk him into it Claire. The rest of the family wants to meet you."

"I'll try."

"Take care kid."

With that, he hugged me gently and was disappeared. Seconds later, the lights came on in the gym and everyone groaned, begging for one more song.

Quil was shuffling awkwardly towards the car as he tried to decide what to do with me for the rest of the night.

"You want to go somewhere?" He asked hesitantly.

"Sure."

The butterflies were already starting to make my stomach flutter in anticipation.

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_Comments? Questions? I would love to know_


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